Books, not bombs

How students can lead the fight to free Palestine, on behalf of UofT Student Strike for Palestine

The Pro-Palestine movement at the University of Toronto is alive and well, but for meaningful change to be won, it must continue to grow.

The movement we saw spread across the world this past spring was not just the start, nor was it the end. It served as a catalyst, bringing awareness to the plight of the Palestinian people while educating thousands of students on the art of protest and resistance.

Our encampment at UofT, known as the People’s Circle for Palestine, lasted 63 days and became a symbol of student solidarity with the Palestinian people. It showcased their determination to force their university to take accountability. Now, it’s time to take the movement another step forward.

Disclose, divest, cut all ties with the Israeli war machine

Mirroring the demands of protestors in the United States, our protestors at the encampment demanded for UofT to disclose its investments and to divest from companies that contribute to, and benefit from, the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Through rigorous investigation, UofT students, faculty, and staff, were able to uncover links between at least 17 out of 44 of those managing UofT’s assets and companies profiting from genocide; however, what is invested where and by whom remains behind closed doors.

While hundreds die in Gaza every day, our university continues to ignore the fact that they profit from genocide. University of Toronto Asset Management (UTAM) invests its assets with third-party managers, making the extent to which UTAM is complicit in genocide impossible to establish. This is done by design.

Israel’s actions will persist with the support of Western imperialist powers, including Canada. This is why it is imperative to uncover these ties and end complicity. As students, faculty, and staff at this university, as the people the university could not function without, we deserve to know where the money is going.

The hypocrisy is glaring: while UofT prides itself on being a hub for knowledge, learning, and social progress, its financial investments contribute to war and violence. Instead of investing in education and the future of students, the university is complicit in funding companies that fuel destruction. UofT should be allocating its resources toward expanding access to education, funding scholarships, and supporting global learning opportunities—not contributing to the bombs that destroy Palestinian schools and homes. Universities should be sanctuaries of knowledge, not financial backers of war.

End the repression of pro-Palestinian student voices

The Palestinian solidarity movement has been continuously slandered and repressed across Canada and the world. The movement at UofT is no exception. Those who fight to end the genocide are slandered, while those who terrorise pro-Palestinian and Muslim students on campus are ignored. We’ve heard no outcry from the administration about the recent presence of the Jewish Defence League on campus making Muslim students on campus feel unsafe, yet the peaceful protests against genocide are framed as antisemitic attacks.

While playing lip service to the principles of freedom of speech and association, the university continues to tighten and enforce restrictions on protests on campus. The university continuously uses freedom of expression as a tactic to discredit voices that attack their interests, while turning around and quietly suppressing the freedom of these very same voices.

Reposted in August, UofT’s policy on student protest assures students that they have a right to peaceful protest—based on strict limitations. A student may protest, as long as they don’t disrupt any normal functioning of the university. We may protest, so long as we don’t make too much noise, block entrances, or create any significant disturbances that would challenge the status quo. This shows the true face of UofT’s administration.

Towards a student strike for Palestine

I’m not writing as an impartial observer, but rather as one of thousands of UofT students indignant by our university’s hypocrisy and evasion of responsibility. Despite the determination and persistence of pro-Palestinian forces at UofT, our demands have been ignored. We’ve seen plenty of pro-Palestine activism at UofT and in the Toronto community in the form of rallies, marches, and the People’s Circle occupation, yet funding continues to flow to the Israeli war machine, and those who speak out are slandered and repressed.

It’s clear that the efforts of a small group of dedicated student activists are not enough. The only way to get the University of Toronto to disclose and divest from Israel is through a mass movement that disrupts the university’s operations.

Passive support is not enough. Though it seems like everyone is talking about Palestine, the unelected board of governors continues to sit idle and ignore the students’ demands. Every single one of us has a role to play in this fight, and it is up to every single one of us to help build this movement.

This isn’t just about UofT. Nor is the problem confined to universities. This is not a single-issue fight. It’s a fight against war, imperialism, and oppression. It’s a fight for freedom of speech and association. It’s a fight to free Palestine and all the oppressed peoples around the world who suffer injustice at the hands of this rotten system that oppresses the majority and privileges the few in power.

If we are going to attack the problem at its core, we need to start with raising awareness in our own communities, and mobilising the majority of the student body. If we want to put an end to imperialism on the world stage, the best place to begin our efforts is at home.

The Student Strike for Palestine campaign has gained momentum at over 40 campuses nationwide, including success at Toronto Metropolitan University, York University, and UofT. Thousands of students have signed petitions, and dozens more have organized events, rallies, and walk-outs to build support. These actions lay the foundation for future strike actions that can force our universities to take a stand against the Israeli occupation.

The fight to free Palestine will only succeed when supporters unite to disrupt the status quo and demand that our institutions place human lives above profit. Achieving this is not only possible, but within reach.